SHELBY- SIZE IT
Alyn Edwards travels to Alberta to visit an amazing new shop
Want to get your Ford Mustang, Raptor or Focus turned into a Shelby? How about a Shelby turned into an 850 horsepower Super Snake?
Just bring it to Lawayne Musslewhite in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. Lawayne and internationally known Shelby expert Jeff Yergovich have opened Shelby Canada West, the country’s first full- service Shelby dealership.
Where is Fort Saskatchewan you ask? Half- an- hour northeast of Edmonton and it’s in the trajectory of all that oil money that’s still flowing despite flagging prices.
It’s fitting that the full Shelby American line of products is now displayed in what was once the showroom of Heartland Ford in Fort Saskatchewan. The large building vacated when the dealership built new premises will soon be buzzing with dozens of cars and trucks being modified inside and out with kits shipped from Shelby American in Las Vegas.
The first shipment arrived just two weeks ago with four kits to turn 2007 and 2013 Shelby GT500 cars into what are branded Super Snakes, a kit for a Ford Raptor pickup truck and another for Ford Focus being sent over by Heartland Ford.
“We already have orders for 34 vehicles and we haven’t even advertised yet or even really opened,” Lawayne enthuses.
One Raptor owner is sending his truck from Newfoundland to be ‘ Shelby- ized.’
It takes only three days and approximately $ 23,000 to Shelby- ize the standard Ford Raptor once all the parts are in stock. The package includes a supercharger with intercooler, stinger exhaust, Shelby side fender heat extractors, boost and fuel pressure gauges, a custom interior and choice Shelby graphics.
Shelby Canada West will turn a Shelby GT500 into a Super Snake in just two weeks with a choice of two full makeover kits. Modifying the standard 662 horsepower cars costs $ 36,500 and boosting the horsepower to 850 will cost $ 51,000.
Lawayne is a pretty famous guy in these parts. In 2010, he hit the jackpot with a massive Lotto Max win. That enabled him to follow a long- standing dream of owning a real vintage Shelby Mustang. He now has 10 of them.
Earlier this year, he stumbled upon one of Canada’s best ever barn finds: 40 current and future classics stored in a Quonset at a Lethbridge dairy farm. Three extremely valuable new Ford GT’s were in the cache of collectibles. Most of these vehicles have been sold.
Jeff Yergovich is famous in Shelby circles worldwide as the only restorer to place one of his finished products in Carroll Shelby’s own museum.
He has been restoring these cars since 1973 when he bought a 1968 Shelby GT350 convertible and drove it to high school and college. He “cleaned it up” and won so many awards that other owners asked him to spruce up their Shelbys.
Today, Jeff’s Kansas City Missouri R& A Motorsports completes concours restorations on up to 20 original Shelbys a year.
He and Lawayne met while inspecting the same Shelby for sale at the 2013 Barrett Jackson Auction in Arizona. Lawayne had begun travelling in an ever widening circle of Shelby owners and enthusiasts and, upon meeting the president of Shelby American, boldly announced he wanted to build the cars ... in Fort Saskatchewan.
The strong friendship that developed between Lawayne and Jeff resulted in the new business venture that also involves wives Marrilyn and Julie.
In late November, a transport truck direct from Las Vegas disgorged everything Shelby at the new Canadian headquarters ranging from jackets, shirts, hats and scarves to Shelby script golf balls, tees and other memorabilia such as signs, posters, books, videos and pens.
“We’re exhausted from putting up all the displays and hanging all the clothes,” Lawayne says of the friends and relatives who have been scurrying around in their blue shirts emblazoned with Shelby Canada West.
He and Jeff are busy in the shop disassembling nearly new Shelby GT500 cars and a Raptor to install the Shelby kits. Completed Shelbys will be assigned special 500- series serial numbers so, henceforth, everyone will know these cars were assembled in Canada.
“This represents a whole new opportunity for Canadians to get their cars built in Canada without having to cross the border and ship their cars long distances,” Jeff says.
The work done in Canada includes installation of custom Shelby hoods, graphics and interiors with horsepower boosters including superchargers and headers. Custom wheels and tires can also be ordered.
“We haven’t really opened yet and we don’t know what we’re going to do about the 34 cars we have to build,” Jeff says.
They are now putting out ads looking for at least two Red Seal journeyman mechanics to build the cars the way Carroll Shelby would have wanted.
And plans are being drafted for a new purpose- built building to house Shelby Canada West alongside the new Heartland Ford on the outskirts of Fort Saskatchewan. Why Fort Saskatchewan?
“This is where I live,” Lawayne retorts. “I’ve loved these cars all my life. Now I’m living the dream right here at home.”
Fort Saskatchewan: Canada’s newest centre for high performance vehicles.